


Jack Shall Have Jack

by seoulstation



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chinese Valentine’s Day, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 23:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30012447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seoulstation/pseuds/seoulstation
Summary: Soonyoung partakes in a Chinese tradition of finding true love by throwing a tangerine with his phone number on it into a river (he had to settle for an inflatable pool) and finds himself attracted by a man whose tangerine he didn’t get.Or, the AU where Jihoon is the confident one going after Soonyoung, and Soonyoung is the shy one who hesitates far too much for his own good.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Jack Shall Have Jack

**Author's Note:**

> “This is starting to sound like Tinder,” Soonyoung pointed out dubiously, though his fingers had already started moving the Sharpie across the waxy skin of the tangerine to print out his phone number in his typical loopy handwriting. “I’m having doubts about a tangerine finding true love for me, Junnie.”

If Kwon Soonyoung were to describe himself, it would be reasonable, practical, and down-to-earth.

So as he allowed Wen Junhui, the man who’d been born 5 days earlier than him and had cried together with him in their side-by-side cribs, to enthusiastically drag him across Ichon Park, he wondered how deep his love ran for the man to have agreed to attend with him tonight. 

The park was mainly deserted - it was, after all, nearly 9 at night - and the only sound that could be heard as they traipsed across the path parallel to the quiet and majestic Han River was Junhui’s incessant babbling. “-will be attending,” he was saying, “and he was saying we could’ve just done it with an app and save ourselves the fuss, but you know Jiaer, it’s ‘go big or go home’ for him-“ Junhui suddenly paused in his long strides, and Soonyoung thanked his lucky stars that he’d kept a safe distance from Junhui that allowed him sufficient time to stop and avoid colliding into his best friend’s long, lanky frame. “Young, are you listening to me?”

“Absolutely,” Soonyoung assured, looking into his eyes steadily. 

A downside - perhaps the only one - about hanging out with Junhui was that he knew him far too well. Being stuck together at the hips for 25 years would do that to you. Junhui had been there when they were swaddled in matching tiny blankies their grandmothers had made for them. Junhui had been there when he said his first word (it had been ‘ma’, to his mother’s delight). Junhui had been there when he took his first step, and according to their mothers, had waddled over unsteadily to get to Soonyoung when he saw Soonyoung teetering and tottering towards him. 

Junhui had been there when they went to kindergarten, when they graduated and went to ‘real school’, and even after they left high school behind and embarked on their university journey, majoring in psychology while Soonyoung went for business, the both of them sharing the same dorm for all four years because there wasn’t anyone else. It had always been Junhui and Soonyoung, even until now. 

So Soonyoung wasn’t in the least bit surprised when Junhui sighed and stepped closer, forcing Soonyoung to tilt his head up slightly to look at him, because damned Wen Junhui didn’t know when to stop growing and now towered 2 inches above Soonyoung. Not that Soonyoung was short - he was easily taller than most of the general population of Seoul - but he wasn’t taller than his best friend, which was all that mattered to his huffy and puffy mind. However, he had to admit that being the shorter one had its benefits; Junhui would always be the big spoon when they cuddled together, and Soonyoung the small spoon nestled in his warm arms. 

“I know you find this entire situation ridiculous, but it’s tradition, Young,” Junhui said gently. “And for us - Jiaer, Minghao, Chenle and the rest - it’s a part of our home, you know?” 

“You’ve never been to China,” Soonyoung muttered, knowing that it was childish but still compelled to say so nonetheless. Junhui’s family had never visited the hometown where his parents had been born and had fallen in love, so despite Junhui’s Chinese ethnicity, he was 100% born and bred a Korean. 

The sentence may have sounded insulting to anyone else, but not Junhui, who merely huffed with amusement. “Practical Soonyoungie, as usual. Yes, I’ve never been there before, but I’d love to someday.” Wistful yearning burned in his eyes as he thought of the cities that he’d only been able to experience through his Chinese friends’ stories. The food, the streets, the sights, the culture.

And it was that look in Junhui’s eyes that had Soonyoung walking forward, dragging Junhui along this time. “Well, come on then. It’s not going to wait for us.”

‘It’ was the large monstrosity of a bright blue inflatable pool that was sitting in the middle of the basketball court, already filled with water and ready to serve its purpose. The court was already packed with eager attendees, the mood festive and joyous as everyone mingled and chatted with old friends and made new ones. 

But what stood out wasn’t the pool. It was the realisation that there were no females in sight.

Junhui’s excitement was palpable, and he pulled Soonyoung over to two men standing by the punch bowl. Before Soonyoung could wonder if it were a college party, the man in his iconic leather jacket that Soonyoung would recognise anywhere let out a welcoming whoop. “You’re finally here!” Wang Jiaer, the Hongkonger who was an undisputed social butterfly - everywhere Soonyoung went, everywhere Soonyoung met Jiaer - pulled them into shoulder bumps. “Hyung, I haven’t seen you for ages! Busy with work?”

“You could say that.” Soonyoung smiled; like Junhui, Jiaer was constantly buzzing with energy, and put together, the two could likely power the entire city without any difficulty. “Sorry I haven’t been hanging out with you guys much. I hope Junhui didn’t give you any trouble.”

As his best friend let out an indignant squawk, the man beside Jiaer snorted. “Some things are best left unsaid. Hello, Soonyoung hyung.”

“Hiya, Minghao.” Xu Minghao was a photographer for one of the bigshot fashion magazines that Soonyoung had never understood, and his Korean had a slight lilting accent to it due to the fact that he’d only picked it up a few years back when he flew over from China. Soonyoung had always wondered why Minghao chose to be the man behind the camera instead of the man in front of it; he most certainly had the build and the face, not to mention the fashion sense. But each to his own, he supposed. “You’re part of the organising team for this too?”

Letting out a sigh filled with unspeakable suffering, Minghao nodded. “Jun hyung, you should probably go grab the tangerines and nets now. Jiaer’s going to give his speech in five, and then the event will start.”

Soonyoung looked at the orange fruit in his hand and blinked. “So I write my phone number on this?”

Junhui was already scribbling his own on his tangerine, even adding on a doodle of a cat. Soonyoung hoped that whoever pulled up Junhui’s tangerine wasn’t a dog fanatic. “Your phone number, KaTalk ID, whatever you want as long as the other person can contact you.”

“This is starting to sound like Tinder,” Soonyoung pointed out dubiously, though his fingers had already started moving the Sharpie across the waxy skin of the tangerine to print out his phone number in his typical loopy handwriting. “I’m having doubts about a tangerine finding true love for me, Junnie.”

“Who’s to say Tinder didn’t get its inspiration from this tradition?” Junhui countered cheerfully, setting his Sharpie down and grabbing a net attached to a slim rod whose length could be adjusted, a bigger version of the tiny handheld nets used to catch tiny wriggling goldfish at funfairs. “Plus, if it worked for our ancestors, it probably has some weight behind it.” Soft understanding glittered in Junhui’s eyes. “Give it a shot, Youngie. No one said you need to fall in love with the person you got. Who knows, you’d gain a new friend.”

Soonyoung finished up his own tangerine with slanted eyes for the tiger he’d doodled, and looked Jun in the eye. “I’m only doing this because of you,” he emphasised. 

Junhui’s responding grin was as bright as the spotlights around the court. “I love you, Youngie.”

“Yo yo yo!” At the resounding cheers, Jiaer laughed, looking every bit at ease on the mini stage with a microphone in his hand. The man was born for attention, and the world was willing to give it to him. “Guess we’re all excited, huh? But before we get this show on the road - Bam, not yet, just give me two goddamn minutes to explain how this is going to go - let me explain how this is going to go.” The man whom Jackson had called out straightened up from his Discobolus stance with a scowl, earning a smattering of laughter from those around him.

“It’s the fifteenth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year - Happy New Year to all of you - and the Chinese have a tradition where on Yuan Xiao Jie, the single ladies would write their phone numbers on oranges and toss them into a river or pond, while single men would fish the oranges up and get in touch with the ladies. They might end up together, they might not, and that’s fine. But my buddies and I realised that it was a pretty discriminatory tradition - what about the gays? The bisexuals?” The crowd screamed its approval, and Jiaer nodded in a way that said, _I know_.

“So tonight,“ Jackson swept out an arm with his usual dramatic flair, “Tonight, we are gathered here to partake in the first ever Yuan Xiao Jie... exclusively for men!

“The rules are simple: write your phone number or contact on a tangerine, and toss it in when I say ‘Go’ - Bam, not _yet_ \- and you can start dredging when all the tangerines have been thrown in. It is absolutely fine if you want to toss in more than one tangerine, or none at all. It is also absolutely fine if you want to pull out more than one tangerine, but do be considerate and make sure there’s going to be enough to go all around. If you’ve tossed in tangerines, even if you’re not planning on fishing - yes, Johnny, I’m looking at your lazy ass - please stay back too, so that the person who got your number can meet you face-to-face. 

“Lastly, I am emphasising that there will not be any hard feelings if the person you got isn’t interested. We’re all grown men here, and we know what consent is. Anyone who violates this rule will be handed over to the police, and subsequently be shunned by the entire gay community in Seoul. Trust me when I say that we’ve got a huge reach.”

“I wonder what Jiaer told the city council when he was applying for exclusive use of this court tonight,” Soonyoung murmured in Junhui’s ear. “Can’t be ‘blind dating for gays, tangerine-style’.”

“Alright, boys, gather around the pool!”

Junhui tugged Soonyoung over to the pool, which was huge enough for all the attendees to surround it directly; Jiaer truly never did things in a half-assed way, not the crazy parties he used to throw when they were back in university, and certainly not this. Soonyoung’s eyes scanned the faces around his - Minghao was across them, tangerine in hand, bored look on his face - and his eyes suddenly stopped when they fell on the man standing beside Minghao. 

He was slighter in height, only reaching Minghao’s chest, but that wasn’t what had caught Soonyoung’s attention. Nor was it the nape-length dark hair that had been pulled back into a messy stub that suited him down to the core. It was his face, the elegantly dainty features leaving only one word in Soonyoung’s mind: _fairy_. Because he looked like one, and damn it, Soonyoung couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

** “Ready...” **

All of a sudden, the man’s gaze locked on his, his dark eyes full of assessment and amusement, sending a jolt of surprise and embarrassment shooting down Soonyoung’s spine. But he didn’t avert his gaze, trying to probe for more clues of the man’s personality in those eyes, yet coming up empty, much to his disgruntlement. Apparently Junhui’s lessons on how to read people through the ‘windows to their souls’, the poetic phrase the Chinese used to describe one’s eyes, hadn’t imprinted too heavily on Soonyoung.

** “Set...” **

He smirked, and the sheer confidence unnerved Soonyoung enough to have him look away quickly, focusing on anything else but the mysterious man. It wasn’t because his traitorous heart had skipped a beat, no sir.

** “Go!” **

The pool started to fill up with orange specks as everyone launched their tangerines into the body of water. Soonyoung aimed for the middle of the pool, satisfied when his tangerine slotted neatly in between others, while Junhui had enthusiastically thrown his all the way across the pool, the force of it splashing the front of Minghao’s outfit, causing the younger to send Junhui a look that promised revenge the moment the opportunity presented itself. 

** “Start fishing!” **

Soonyoung hoisted his net into the pool, and randomly snagged a lone tangerine swimming to his left. There was none of Junhui’s single determination to reach for that one particular tangerine in the midst of other similar-looking tangerines. After all, Soonyoung told himself, he was here for Junhui. He wasn’t here for true love. All he needed was a tangerine to show Junhui that he’d fulfilled his duty for the night, and then he could-

“Got it!” Huffing from the exertion, Junhui triumphantly flashed his tangerine in Soonyoung’s face. All Soonyoung could see was a bunch of numbers that were... why were they so familiar?

“Isn’t this-“

“Minghao’s, yeah.”

The realisation barrelled into Soonyoung’s mind, causing him to gape open-mouthed at Junhui. “You nearly fell into the pool because you wanted to get Minghao’s tangerine?”

Uncertainty had taken over Junhui’s face, and his cheekbones flushed with a shade of red Soonyoung wasn’t entirely sure was from his earlier fishing workout. “Yeah.”

Soonyoung bumped his shoulder gently. “You do realise that you already have Minghao’s number, right? Why didn’t you just call him and ask him out if you were interested, dumbo?”

Junhui mumbled something incoherent that sounded along the lines of “didn’t want anyone else to get his number”, all the while fiddling with the precious tangerine in his hand. With an exasperated sigh, Soonyoung clapped his hands on Junhui’s shoulder. “Just because someone else won’t call Minghao doesn’t mean you automatically get him, Junnie. You need to-“

“Ask him out, I know.” One of Junhui’s hands had started worrying a loose thread on his thin sweater, a tell that Junhui was nervous. “It’s just... I don’t think Minghao likes me much.”

Soonyoung rather thought that Minghao liked Junhui plenty; it was just hidden under layers of sharp words and dry humour. But that was for Junhui to discover and unravel himself. Scanning the court, Soonyoung saw Minghao to one side, camera in hand as he did what he did best, capturing moments of one of the most noteworthy (although secret) events in the history of gay rights in Seoul. “Go talk to him.”

Junhui’s already-unfairly-wide eyes turned even wider with fear and embarrassment. “Young-“

“I’ll tell him myself if you don’t.” 

Junhui knew that it was an empty threat - Soonyoung would never do anything to make Junhui feel uncomfortable, and telling his crush that he had a crush on him before he could confess himself would be on top of the list - but it gave him the false boost he needed. Like a baby deer taking its first steps, Junhui wandered cautiously over to Minghao, and Soonyoung was lucky enough to catch the flash of quiet happiness when Minghao’s eyes looked away from the viewfinder and fell on Junhui. 

They’ll work. 

Alone, Soonyoung realised that he hadn’t actually looked at his own tangerine yet. Like Minghao’s, there weren’t any other doodles on it, only a neatly-printed set of numbers. Soonyoung wondered if he could forgo the next step of calling up the owner of the number, but as he noticed a determined Jiaer striding over to him, he realised that resistance would be futile. 

Jiaer pointed a finger at his tangerine. “Hyung, have you called?” At Soonyoung’s shake of his head, Jiaer tutted and made grabby fingers for his tangerine, which Soonyoung handed over with no little relief. If Junhui asked, Jiaer had taken his tangerine hostage. He wasn’t to be blamed if he didn’t call-

“Oh, I know this,” Jiaer said with a small furrow forming in between his eyebrows, and Soonyoung’s hopeful heart plummeted downwards. “Hold on, just let me confirm...” Whipping out his phone, Jiaer carefully typed in the numbers, and grinned when it did come up with a match with one of his contacts. At this rate, Soonyoung wouldn’t be surprised if Jiaer had the number of the President. “Look, it’s Wonwoo-hyung, though you’d call him Wonwoo, since you’re the same age. Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.”

“Do I even get a say in this?” Soonyoung tried, desperation eking through his tone as Jiaer dragged him through the crowds, where people were already looking around and meeting up with their tangerine buddies. 

“Do it in the spirit of Yuan Xiao Jie,” Jiaer advised wisely, and sped up when he found the man he was looking for. “Wonwoo hyung!”

The first thing Soonyoung saw wasn’t ‘Wonwoo hyung’, but the three men Wonwoo was with, two of them extremely familiar faces that had genuine terror seeping into Soonyoung’s heart, and a newer face that started to smirk when his eyes met Soonyoung’s.

“Jiaer!” Yoon Jeonghan, the prettiest man Soonyoung had ever had the privilege the meet, and a Psychology graduate a year ahead of Junhui who had been a major contributor to Junhui’s summa cum laude, and whom Soonyoung swore had mind-reading powers, greeted them genially as they approached. “We’re having so much fun!”

“I do hope that you haven’t been throwing or fishing for tangerines, Jeonghan hyung,” Jiaer teased. “Seungcheol hyung would have my head.”

Choi Seungcheol, who had looks and a physique which was the total opposite of his boyfriend’s androgynous beauty, wrapped a scarily muscular arm around Jeonghan’s slender waist and smiled at them. “Your head is safe, Jiaer. Hello, Soonyoungie. Where’s Junnie?”

“He’s with-“

“That reminds me!” With a smack to his forehead, Jiaer showed Seungcheol and Jeonghan Soonyoung’s tangerine. “Soonyoung hyung got Wonwoo hyung’s number!”

As Jeonghan’s eyes glimmered with interest, Soonyoung belatedly wondered if Jiaer knew he’d just shoved Soonyoung straight into the lion’s den. Soonyoung associated himself with a tiger, but Jeonghan was the one lion Soonyoung would never, ever want to face off, unless he’d lost his mind and gone bonkers. “Isn’t that interesting,” Jeonghan purred. “Wonwoo, this is Kwon Soonyoung, my precious dongsaeng and also Junhui’s best friend. Soonyoung, this is Jeon Wonwoo.” Jeonghan gestured to the bespectacled man standing beside him, who had features that reminded Soonyoung of the childhood story The Cold Prince and an aura that went perfectly with his looks.

Collecting his courage, Soonyoung reached out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Wonwoo-ssi.”

Wonwoo took his hand, and Soonyoung nearly flinched at the cold touch. He really took being an icy person to the next level, huh? “No need for formalities, Soonyoung.” His voice had a low timbre to it, the kind of voice suited for movie narratives and audiobooks. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Wonwoo’s a radio DJ,” Seungcheol supplied helpfully, finally realising Jeonghan’s poorly-veiled matchmaking intentions. “Shall we leave them alone?” He whispered in Jeonghan’s ear, but unfortunately miscalculating his volume and whispering it loud enough that Soonyoung was sure even his halmeoni could have heard it without her hearing aids. 

With an embarrassed sigh, Soonyoung raked his fingers through his hair, which was probably already ruffled from the unrelenting breeze typical on a winter night. Wonwoo cleared his throat, and asked, “So, Soonyoung, where do you work?”

Before Soonyoung could be impressed at how Wonwoo had tried to save the awkward situation Seungcheol had placed them in - he must be a pretty good radio DJ - Junhui suddenly appeared, Minghao in tow. “Hyungdeul! I didn’t know you were going to attend! Wonwoo and Jihoon too!”

As Minghao politely greeted the group of men, being the youngest one amongst them all, Soonyoung realised with no little trepidation that his earlier unease from being introduced to Wonwoo wasn’t wholly because of Wonwoo’s intimidating aura, nor was it because of Jeonghan’s schemes. It was because of the shorter man beside Seungcheol, who has been the man Soonyoung had been staring at right before he threw his tangerine into the pool, and who was now staring at him with thinly-veiled curiosity. 

“Where are my manners?” Seungcheol groaned. “Sorry, Ji. Soonyoung, this is Lee Jihoon, assistant art director at Vogue Korea. Jihoon, Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung was a reasonable, practical, and down-to-earth person. But his reasonable, practical, and down-to-earth mind came up with blanks as he tried to put a term to the feeling that jolted through his heart as his eyes and hand met Jihoon’s. 

Nervousness, he told himself. Where Wonwoo intimidated him with his cold aloofness, Jihoon unnerved him with his quiet confidence.

“Nice to meet you, Soonyoung-ssi.”

Jihoon’s voice was the polar opposite of Wonwoo’s, high and breathy, slotting in perfectly with his fairylike features. “S-Soonyoung will do. Nice to meet you, Jihoon. Are you colleagues with Minghao, then?”

“Yes,” Minghao answered for Jihoon. “We work together sometimes. Jihoon hyung’s awesome at what he does.”

Jihoon let go of Soonyoung’s hand gently, and Soonyoung stuffed his hands into his pockets, carefully wiping his palms against the inner lining, relieved to find that his palms weren’t as sweaty as he’d thought they would have been. Thank the skies that Jiaer had decided to hold this event in February, and not in the middle of the summer. “High praise, Minghao.”

“Did anyone else get any tangerines?” Junhui was asking the group, groaning when Jeonghan pointed at Seungcheol. “Ugh, stop. I was asking the single people, not the grossly-in-love couple.”

“I did,” Jihoon said, and Soonyoung couldn’t help it as his eyes flicked over to look at him. Jihoon held up a tangerine, and Seungcheol pounced on it instantly, examining it with a careful precision Soonyoung was certain he normally reserved for his patients at his dental practice, or for Jeonghan. 

“Do you want to-“

Jihoon locked gazes with Soonyoung yet again, and this time, even without Junhui’s lectures on how to read people, Soonyoung would never have missed the blatant challenge in Jihoon’s eyes. “Sure, why not?”

The phone number belonged to a tall - and Soonyoung didn’t use that word lightly - giant named Kim Mingyu, the perfect specimen of how a handsome man looked like, who was Minghao’s age and one of Jiaer’s best friends. He reminded Soonyoung of a puppy; eager and bright, who fit in easily with their group of mismatched friends as though he’d always been there since the beginning. Which, to be fair, was only fifteen minutes ago. 

Mingyu was surprised to discover that Jihoon had gotten his number, but had hastily explained that it wasn’t because of their height difference, but because Jihoon looked like someone who would never be caught dead near any blind dating events. Soonyoung agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s only here because we pulled him out of the hellhole he calls home,” Seungcheol explained, ribbing his friend playfully. “Ji’s a workaholic, and we thought that he could use some new friends.”

“Do you want to grab a coffee sometimes?”

Soonyoung looked up to see Wonwoo looking at him with a surprisingly patient look in his eyes, and tried to look as though he hadn’t been straining his ears to eavesdrop on Mingyu and Jihoon’s conversation. “Wonwoo-“ Soonyoung hesitated for a split second before deciding to bravely soldier on, “I’m not looking for a relationship.”

Wonwoo’s answering chuckle lit up his entire face, dazzling Soonyoung into a state of wondrous admiration, because damn, Wonwoo looked good, even if Soonyoung wasn’t going to let a tangerine decide his fate for him. “Never said I was.” 

If he could dig a hole right here and now to bury himself from the embarrassment, he would. “I wasn’t-I meant-“

Airily, Wonwoo waved it away. “I know how it must’ve seemed like. But I was asking because I think we could be pretty good friends. God knows I need more friends other than Seungcheol and Jeonghan.”

“Tell me about it,” Soonyoung muttered, to Wonwoo’s amusement. They exchanged numbers before Soonyoung excused himself to use the bathroom a short walk away from the court. 

“Hey.”

Soonyoung nearly jumped out of his skin at the greeting that seemed to come from nowhere, and only calmed down slightly once he saw that it hadn’t been from a incorporeal being, but a very alive man leaning casually against a lamppost outside the bathrooms, raven hair still tied back in its stub, hands in his pockets as he looked at Soonyoung. 

“Hey,” Soonyoung managed to croak out. “Um, there are empty stalls, you don’t need to wait outside.”

“I wasn’t waiting to use the bathroom.” Jihoon sauntered over, and smiled at Soonyoung in a way that made his hardly-slowed-down heart speed up once again. “I was waiting for you, actually.”

Soonyoung wasn’t a completely socially awkward person. Perhaps he wasn’t the most outgoing person - he would leave that to Jiaer and Junhui - but he had no difficulty keeping up polite conversation with people he’d just met. So he wasn’t all to certain why the mere presence of Jihoon seemed to reduce him into a blubbering, fumbling mess that even toddler Soonyoung had never been. (According to his mother, toddler Soonyoung babbled nonsensically with Junhui all the time.)

Jihoon was still speaking in that soft, gentle tone of his, and Soonyoung hastily snapped back into reality, fearful of missing out any precious words coming out from Jihoon’s mouth. “I’ve got to go now, there’s a work emergency that can’t wait,” Jihoon was saying. “But before I go, I wanted to ask for your number.”

Jihoon was looking at Soonyoung expectantly, and Soonyoung wondered if his earlier line of ‘I’m not looking for a relationship’ would work would work with Jihoon. Probably not; unlike Wonwoo, Jihoon’s eyes were screaming something else other than an interest in a platonic friendship. 

Plus, Soonyoung wasn’t sure he wanted to reply with ‘I’m not looking for a relationship’. 

Unlike Junhui, who cried over sappy romance movies and had always dreamed of looking for his happy ever after, Soonyoung didn’t subscribe to the notion that he would meet his ‘one true love’ someday. He dated people whose company he enjoyed, and slept with them occasionally if they both felt like it. He would likely marry or enter a partnership with the person he was dating when he reached a suitable age, and live out his life with a companion by his side. He or she didn't need to be someone who made his heart stutter with stunned wonder and joy every time he saw them, nor did they need to be someone who would die for him and whom he would reciprocate the feeling. There was no need for ‘till death do us part’ flairs in Soonyoung’s life. 

Jeonghan and Seungcheol, a living example of how the other would never again be truly alive in the event one of them departed first, claimed that Soonyoung just hadn’t met his true love yet. Soonyoung told them he didn’t need one to be happy. 

Jihoon’s gaze had morphed into one of caution. “I don’t think I was wrong in assuming you’d be interested,” he said slowly, trying to gauge the meaning behind Soonyoung’s drawn-out silence. “But if I am-“

“How about Mingyu?”

Jihoon blinked at Soonyoung’s interruption, clearly confused. “What about Mingyu?”

“He seemed interested in you. And you-“ seemed interested in him, Soonyoung wanted to say, biting his tongue at the very last second in fear of sounding like a whiny jealous brat. Because he wasn’t. Okay, he was a little whiny sometimes, and Jeonghan wouldn’t hesitate in calling him a brat. But he wasn’t jealous.

“Mingyu’s eyes were latched onto Wonwoo during 90% of our conversation,” Jihoon informed him dryly. “You must’ve been really engrossed in your conversation with Wonwoo if you hadn’t noticed.”

Was that a hint of petulance he detected? Perhaps not. Soonyoung had learnt, quickly, to not jump to any conclusions when it came to Jihoon. For instance, he wouldn’t have expected Jihoon to be in the publishing business - he looked more like someone who was ready to get his hands covered with sweat and grime in the back room of an auto-repair shop. He wouldn’t have expected Jihoon to not be interested in Mingyu either, because that man was a living and breathing modern Adonis, flawless in every regard. (He even cooked and did the chores. If Soonyoung had been a tad more wild and reckless, he would’ve asked for Mingyu’s hand in marriage right there and then.)

But here was Jihoon, standing in front of him, waiting for his number even though he had an emergency at work waiting for his attention. 

“Did you get a tangerine?”

An eyebrow quirked at Soonyoung’s question, and the smirk that never failed to get Soonyoung’s blood racing made its appearance. “I was going to try and fish for yours,” Jihoon admitted in a softer tone. “Someone else got it before I did, though.”

Somehow, it was that simple admission that Jihoon had been interested enough in a man that he’d only shared a glance with to want to fish for his tangerine that had Soonyoung holding out his hand, asking for Jihoon’s phone with the wordless gesture. 

Soonyoung swore that Jihoon’s resounding grin outshone the light from the lamppost above their heads, even the round ivory circle hanging in the middle of the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I know I said I’d only come back to writing after April, but I realised yesterday that Straight Up And Down had gotten over 500 hits and I was so happy, I needed to write. So here is one of my works that was only supposed to be started after the seoksoo sequel, which I swear I will get back to in April. 
> 
> The title is a twist on the English translation from the Chinese phrase 有情人终成眷属, which would literally mean lovers will end up together eventually, and is more commonly translated as “all shall be well, Jack shall have Jill”, the Jack and Jill in question referring to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. I wanted to use the phrase “Jack Shall Have Jack” because they’re both men (duh) and also because despite the dark translation in English, the original Chinese phrase is one that is romantic and often used at weddings to celebrate the coming-together of a couple.
> 
> Yuan Xiao Jie is celebrated on the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year (hence the chapter name), and yes, the tradition of throwing oranges into a river or pond is a real thing. My friends have participated in the past few years and even though nothing ever came out from it, it was still a fun experience and it’s nice to see that old traditions are still being upheld. 
> 
> I also thought that it would be nice to write a switch of Soonyoung and Jihoon’s typical AU personalities, so instead of Soonyoung being the proactive, clingy, and eager boyfriend and Jihoon the tsundere, it’ll be the other way around, more or less. There will be a second chapter to this fic, and like the seoksoo sequel, it’ll be completed in April. Your girl probably needs to stop procrastinating.
> 
> If you liked it, please leave some kudos and comments! And if you want to get notified when the second and final chapter comes out, subscribe or bookmark this fic too :) thank you for reading!


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